It was probably a chronicle of a death foretold: marketing through online content, not just advertising, turned into content written by marketers rather than content people. The result is a jumble of rather dull messages that readers recognize from thousands of clicks away and don't want to touch, not even with a virtual stick. Content is without doubt the most effective way to win consumer attention, and we think so too (every brand has a story). We just prefer a different approach: less producing marketing content whose essence is product promotion, and more advancing the interests of the brands we represent through legitimate editorial content. Sounds complicated?
Don't produce "marketing content": understand that all content is marketing content
Would readers want to know about the hidden dangers of children's costumes ahead of Purim? Would you click on an article about ways to raise a smarter baby? You'd probably agree that you'd be interested in an article about new research on how the city you live in affects your weight. These are the kinds of content we at MaxiMedia work to create, each of them promoting our clients in creative ways that build connection and trust through valuable, non-commercial information.
It is content that includes surveys, research and data produced by our clients, an interview with the head of R&D at a company we represent as an expert, or a product presented as part of the solution. Our clients' products and services become part of the media agenda, woven into articles, investigations, recommendation columns and consumer coverage.
It is a complex craft. To do it successfully, you need a strong feel for the media mood, ongoing relationships with reporters and editors, and a sense of which topic, angle and language will suit which outlet, and when.
Why gatekeepers matter
In an age of information overload, consumers look for quick ways to filter: to reach the information most relevant to them in the shortest possible time. To do that, we all rely on human filters, whether it's a journalist we trust, a magazine we always read or a celebrity we follow on Instagram. At heart, they all do the same job.
To illustrate: if I'm a consumer who wants to buy a pair of running shoes and I start searching Google for recommendations, I'll probably waste at least half a day going through different reviews. So I'll look for what communication research calls "gatekeepers" or "opinion leaders": professionals I see as experts and whose recommendations I trust far more than others', on the assumption that they have checked, filtered and chosen the best.
That's why it isn't only the quality of the content the product or brand appears in that matters, but also the platform it's published on. Classic marketing content tends to appear on less credible platforms than "real" content: sponsored sections within major media outlets, niche outlets, or the brand's own digital assets. At MaxiMedia we aim to place content that advances the brand's values in major media outlets, in "legitimate" (non-sponsored) editorial placements, because that is where readers' trust is highest.